Notes from Jane Bozarth's Bozarthzone, with ideas for creating and outsourcing inexpensive e-learning solutions, along with general thoughts about the training and development field.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Transforming Classroom to Online: What's the Reality?

“When you’re looking at ‘converting’ classroom training to an online format, try to actually get to the classroom event. Get clear on what really goes on there, as opposed to what you might hear in a meeting or via document review. Talk to the trainers or facilitators who run classroom events, and ask them about any tricks or special adaptations they might employ. Then work on ways to bring the richness—and maybe even fun—to the worker’s online experience.”

Though I rarely do traditional classroom work now, I’m still around it all the time, as it’s what my co-workers do all day, every day. Our halls are full of people here to attend classes. I hear them before sessions and during breaks, talking to one another or on phones calling home or back to the office. Often they are enjoying the class they’re in. And often they complain that the sessions are good, but not quite realistic, or not always relevant to their needs. In the classroom, a good trainer can adjust on the fly, a luxury not available to the eLearning designer. This month's column explores some common issues and ideas for overcoming them.

What's Happening in the Classroom?

When we're in the classroom this is how we work on customer service skills for van drivers. Can you guess why? What happens in the classroom is sometimes worth knowing.

Compared to other service providers, a van driver’s situation is unique in a few ways:

The driver always has his or her back to the customer

The driver makes eye contact through quick glances in a mirror

If there’s a problem, the driver has to get the van off the road, to a safe spot, and notify a dispatcher about the issue

2 comments:

E-learning is another form of education. It is not designed to take anyway from the classroom. We all understand that the classroom experience is the key. Teachers are always be the best visual aid. What really e-learning does is to help students who don't feel challenge in class and support their learning after school. We can use it as a review tool. I'm having an application with me (www.techhhubcorp.com/solaro/) and it really helps me prepare what will happen in class because it gives me an advanced lesson and thousand of practice tests.

I offer many free live-online sessions throughout the year hosted by Insync Training LLC. Check the calendar for details. Also watch for announcements from Training Magazine Network, the eLearning Guild, and ASTD & ISPI Chapters for online events.